1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to sports equipment, and more particularly, to the handles, hand grips, and shafts of sports equipment.
2. Background of the Invention
Several types of sports equipment incorporate a handle by which players hold and control the equipment. Familiar examples of sports equipment with handles include tennis racquets, golf clubs, baseball bats, hockey sticks, and lacrosse sticks. Among these different types of sports equipment, the handles generally fall under two categories, characterized by the extent to which a player must change hand placement. The first type of handle accommodates a limited number of hand placements and usually involves a sport in which a player places his hands in the same general location each time the equipment is used, as is the case with tennis and golf. In addition, the player usually has ample time to place his hands in preparation for using the sports equipment, especially for sports such as softball and golf. Typically, this first type of handle consists of a shaft fitted with a grip located away from the operational portion of the sports equipment, such as on tennis racquets, softball bats, and golf clubs. This first type of handle is referred to herein as a fixed hand placement handle.
The second type of handle, referred to herein as a variable hand placement handle, accommodates multiple combinations of hand placement, generally positioned over a larger area. A player using a variable hand placement handle constantly moves his hands along the handle in multiple positions. Examples of these variable hand placement handles include field hockey sticks, ice hockey sticks, and lacrosse sticks.
Typically, manufacturers design variable hand placement handles as a shaft without a grip. Providing a shaft without a grip makes manufacture easier and simplifies compliance with the rules governing sports equipment design. In addition, manufacturers are hesitant to add a specially located grip on the shaft of a variable hand placement handle because, although the grip may enhance control of the stick in executing some skills, the grip may actually hinder control in executing other skills that involve sliding or quick movement of hands along portions of the handle.
Nevertheless, some variable hand placement handles include a grip along a length of a shaft. For instance, some field hockey sticks include a grip extending half-way down the shaft, covering the area on which a player grips the stick with multiple hand combinations. Although the grips may provide a more tacky surface than the shaft material, the grips typically are basic leather or synthetic straps wrapped around the shaft, without regard to the ways in which a player's hands cooperate with the shaft. In addition, because of the manner by which they are attached (e.g., using ordinary adhesives), the grips do not move in unison with the shaft.
The present invention and the following discussion is directed to this second type of sports equipment handle, i.e., the variable hand placement handle.
In executing game skills, players must be able to grip and control the sports equipment. In some sports, such as hockey and lacrosse, this control is referred to as “stick handling.” Effective stick handling requires a player to constantly reposition his hands along the sports equipment handle to move the operational portion of the sports equipment. The “operational portion,” e.g., the head of a lacrosse stick or the blade of a hockey stick, refers to the part or parts of the sports equipment that is/are controlled by the handle. As used herein, “stick” refers to the sports equipment as a whole, including the operational portion. “Handle” refers to the part of the sports equipment on which a player's hand(s) is/are placed, which does not include the operational portion. The handle is comprised of a shaft and possibly provisions to improve a player's grip. A “shaft” is therefore a component of the handle.
For effective stick handling, each hand placement enables the player to impart force and torque on the sports equipment to effect a desired motion, e.g., throwing or striking a ball. In addition, in competitive situations, the player must quickly change hand placements and grips to react to and outplay his opponent. Thus, between the execution of consecutive skills, a player must release or slide one of his hands, move it to a new position, and re-grip the handle with a strong hold.
With reference to the variable hand placement handles, an example of this constant hand repositioning is a lacrosse player who scoops a ground ball, cradles the ball while running, and then throws the ball. In chasing the ground ball, the player typically grabs the lacrosse stick handle at or near its end with one hand (referred to herein as the “lower hand”) and at or near its midpoint with the other hand (referred to herein as the “upper hand”), and extends the lacrosse stick out in front while running or bending down toward the ground. Once the ball is scooped up and in the pocket of the lacrosse stick head, the player pulls the lacrosse stick toward his body and simultaneously repositions one or both hands, often grabbing the handle with the upper hand just under the throat portion of the lacrosse stick head. While running and cradling the ball, the player may release the lower hand from the bottom of the handle and cradle the stick with the upper hand near the throat portion. Then, when preparing to throw, the player re-grips the bottom end of the handle and cocks the stick back with both hands. In completing the throwing motion, as the player moves his upper hand forward and lower hand back, the upper hand on the throat area slides down the shaft toward the lower hand. Throughout the throwing and follow-through motions, the lower hand tightly grips the shaft near its end to maintain control and accuracy. Thus, in the course of executing three consecutive game skills, the player quickly repositions his hands multiple times.
The ability to quickly reposition hand placement without losing control of the handle requires a player to make subtle adjustments in hand gripping force. A strong gripping force is required to hold and cock the stick, especially for the lower hand. An intermediate gripping force is required to slide a hand along the shaft without releasing the handle entirely. Such rapid grip adjustments are sometimes difficult to execute on conventional variable hand placement handles, which tend to have largely uniform surfaces that do not cooperate with a player's hand. In addition, factoring in the effects of fatigue, perspiration, cold temperatures, and inclement weather, it is easy to see why players often lose a firm grip on sports equipment.
In addition, some sports such as lacrosse and ice hockey require the use of protective gloves that further frustrate a player's firm grip on the sports equipment shaft. Although these gloves protect the outside of a player's hand, the layer of material between the shaft and the player's palm and fingers, no matter how tacky, reduces the player's feel for the sports equipment. Additionally, moisture from, for example, inclement weather makes firm gripping difficult.
To improve the grip and padding characteristics of the variable hand placement handles, players sometimes tape the shafts with gauze tape, Tourna Grip™, or similar grip materials. Although these minor adjustments may approximate a grip, it is difficult to build shapes out of the tape that complement finger placement and/or that increase the diameter of the handle to aid a player in using the required gripping force. Furthermore, the tape rarely adheres well to the shaft, tends to slide, and does not move in unison with the shaft. Indeed, the tape is extremely susceptible to wearing, tattering, and falling off. Thus, players must constantly remove and replace the tape.